ROFL . . . I guess “Lucky” is my middle name! I’ve used a vacuum about once a year to clean out the cobwebs, but I never, ever jam the hose actually down on to the MB or peripheral cards. But, your suggestion to use a small compressor is good advice and well noted. I have such a compressor (for my nail guns, brad gun, car tires, etc.) and it does have a water-capture filter, and a regulator, too. MY “box” is really light compared to the one it replaces. And, the only exterior connections are the HDMI, speakers and AC cord, everything else is wireless. I suppose I could simply take the entire “box” outside and blow the crap out if it, GENTLY.

When I built my present PC, I thought out loud that I might try and go with a dual-monitor setup. That's when I was reminded that in the games I play-Fallout 3/New Vegas, Skyrim, Dishonored, etc., the aiming reticle would fall in between the two monitors! Oops, thus ended that idea. I'd rather have the 1440p larger monitor anyway.

Not a big gamer. I play once in a while, or when my nephews come over. Bought a Wii when I found a deal on it. Definitely would have gone with something else if I had more interest in gaming. If my BD player, Roku, and Wii ever die, I'd probably go with PS3 or Xbox 360, since I think those handle all that (games, DVD, BD, internet, CD).

I have a PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and the original (aka fat) Nintendo DS. I also have a Sega Dreamcast and PS2 packed away. I do the majority of my playing in my home office where I have a 5.1 surround system. I have everything connected to a 22" Dell IPS flat panel monitor. The PC connects via DVI, Xbox 360 via VGA, and PS3 via HDMI. All three are connected to the Logitech sound system with optical cables.

The Wii lives in the living room with a stereo and Samsung PN50C7000 display. Due to how our living room is laid out, I haven't bothered with a surround system in it. I've considered a soundbar off and on, but since I don't spend much time in the living room using that equipment, I haven't bothered. The PDP is primarily used by my wife (Netflix streaming and discs) and my kids (movies on DVD).

Since I do occasionally haul the 360 or PS3 out to the living room, I have the necessary cables for both consoles already connected to the PDP.

same here, with the addition of xbox classic, game boy advance, game boy classic, a nintendo dsi, wii, an ipod touch, ipod nano, and gs3. Used to have a mac for games as well as apple iigs. I have multiple versions of games for consoles. An example is Another World, which came out for the Apple IIGS among other consoles. The snes version is inferior while the iigs is better. I never beaten the game but thanks to youtube i can watch every cutscene.

PC gaming all the way. I have no plans to buy a console. Sometimes I play through my 55" LG but mostly game on my pc monitor. My BenQ Flicker free 144hz pro. gaming monitor should be here tomorrow cant wait

99% PC gamer. Mouse+Keyboard simply *destroys* console gamepads for most games, custom maps for L4D/TeamFortess2/etc, 2560x1440 res (falling back to 1080p) at 60 or 120 Hz on my GTX Titan, SSD for quick loading, 300+ games (just on Steam alone), 16 GB RAM for multitasking + VMs, more then 4 player coop, plus can play old classics such as Ultima 7 really makes it no contest.

Guardian Heroes on Segal Saturn. (Still need to get the HD remake on Xbox 360)

Soul Calibur on Dreamcast, although SC IV on Xbox 360 is fantastic too.

Edit: Added other consoles

"Know Thyself" - The Beginning of ALL Wisdom
I've shipped games on DS, PC, PS1, PS2, Wii, and helped numerous companies with PS3 game dev support. Ask me anything about game programming, game design, graphics, or color.

Personally, I use PC(limited usage), 360(Gaming+Netflix+Crunchyroll), PS3(gaming/Blu-ray player), Wii (For classic gaming and exclusive titles, Not WiiU), an N64(myself and my wife play few games on it not emulated well on any other system), and a PSP(Rarely, but yes I game on a big screen with a portable system, but then again I also write custom software for it).

For the guys voting PC....do you usually play connected to your TV/PJ, at a desk, or a little of both?

90% of the time I game at my custom-made desk, where I have a 40" 3D tv wall-mounted with a fully articulating wall mount. The screen is about 30" from my face and it completely fills my field of view without me having to move my head very often. Games like Mass Effect 2 & 3 and Guild Wars 2 can only be described as "epic" when gaming on a 40" desktop screen. And kick in the 3D? You'll never go back to 2D again.

The other 10% of the time I game in my theatre on a 150" screen. Obviously I likes my screens BIG.

PC gaming is the only way to go. True, the PS4 and Xbox One will offer comparable graphics (I hate to admit it, but even though mid-to-high-end gaming PCs will still outperform the latest consoles, most people will not be able to tell the difference between console and PC graphics quality with the new generation of consoles), but until consoles can offer buttloads of FREE mods and extras done by the PC gaming community, a Mouse/KeyBd setup, and the ability to play on multiple monitors/ fluid 3D/ ultraHD resolution gaming, consoles are still a clumsy, childish excuse for a PC.

For my PC gaming, I use a gaming laptop on the road and hook it to my HT as a HTPC, when I'm home, but rarely use it for gaming in general. I tri-boot two copies of Windows(one for work w/standard driver, one for gaming/media with a custom video driver) and copy of Linux. My wife is also a gamer and the main reason I play PC games less when I'm home. Consoles are still the best for having a person sitting next to you gaming without needing a separate system and for ease of use, but PCs have the edge for resolution, frame rate, and control flexibility. It largely depends on the type of game and personal preference as to which is best. Ex: Fighting Games = Console win, MMRPG = PC wins and a console can never compete without a Keyboard an mouse and then it's just a cheap gaming PC.

Started out completely a console gamer, bought the PS3 back in 2006, and bought a 360 in 2010.
This year, I decided to try PC gaming... let me just say this, I will never go back. PC has so many unique exclusives, and they also sell many, many, great games for less than 20 bucks! It's insane! I was so used to paying $60 for each and every game. Plus PC's are upgradable and ever evolving. Also, mouse and keyboard is where it's at.(coming from years of using controllers)
And as of yesterday, I am now gaming at 144hz. Makes a huge difference as well being able to go past 60 frames per second. If you love video/audio, and want the best gaming experience you can have, I suggest buying a PC. I sometimes just sit there and gawk over the beauty of the games..
Or if you'd still like the "console experience", wait for Steam to release their upcoming hardware. They'll have multiple different models at different price points running their SteamOS. So you'll still get upgradable hardware, and perform better than consoles, while still having that console feel.

PC connected to a Lumagen Radiance video processor to lightly stretch the game image to fit my 2:35 projection screen. Many games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare offer this internally, but I prefer to do it at the hardware level. I use an xbox 360 controller. This offers the absolute best gaming experience I've ever been privy to: the comfort and theatrics of console gaming, but with the visual fidelity only possible through PC gaming. I can never go back to gaming at a desk (not hating on those who do game at desks, which--I imagine--is likely the majority of PC gamers.)

Do you have any trouble with lag? I would think the software setting for 2.35 would increase your actual field of view, which I think would be awesome for most games!

Mainly PC, getting back into PS3 due to great games like Uncharted series, The last of us etc... I am the type of person who has like 4 games going at once. Also have a 360, will be getting a Wii U a soon as they release Zelda!

Wow I'm surprised the PC did so well in the poll! I'm currently a PC gamer and have been since my first Windows PC back in 1999. I got a Xbox360 for MXvsATV Reflex since I'm a motocross fan and quality motocross games are pretty much non-existent so I had no choice if I wanted to play the only worthwhile MX game. That game eventually got ported over to the PC out of nowhere and is on Steam now. Playing on the PC is so much better with the higher resolution and much more fluid animation and gameplay. Whenever I've been over to a friends house with an Xbox, I can't even stand to play it anymore because of the blurriness of the image and laggy controls. Before selling the Xbox I was comparing demos of games that where also on the PC and you just can't beat the PC's higher quality and crisper image with more fluid gameplay. Of course, I absolutely despise playing first person shooters with a controller but I use a Xbox 360 controller (my favorite controller) on the PC for games that play better with a controller (like say, Mortal Kombat or Rayman Legends). I feel like I get a lot more out of a PC and I notice more than ever the games on the console also hit the PC anyway and it's nice to have one box do it all, and at higher quality. No need for smart TVs, bluray players, streaming devices, gaming consoles- the PC takes care of everything all in one box...

I have my PC at a desk with a 27" LED but also have my hometheater in the same room and have the PC also connected to it so I can play games from the couch on the 60" with a high quality surround system when I want to. For those asking for a solution for a mouse and keyboard for sitting at the couch I spent under $10 for a pre-finished shelf at Home Depot or Lowes....

Basically the keyboard and mouse pad sit on the shelf and then the shelf just sits on your lap. For a steering wheel at the couch I use one of these....

Going back in time I started with an original Pong game console. First computer was a Tandy TRS-80.... Used to code games from magazines on that system, lol, really I hated computers until the Amiga which really doesn't hold a candle to todays Windows PCs IMO. I do think about Zelda from time to time, but probably wouldn't like it now as an adult as I did when I was a kid. Haven't owned a Nintendo product since the N64 and used to have some epic battles in Goldeneye with friends, heh.... But yea, since jumping to a Windows PC in '99, playing on anything but a PC feels like a major downgrade, especially first person shooters...

I have my PC at a desk with a 27" LED but also have my hometheater in the same room and have the PC also connected to it so I can play games from the couch on the 60" with a high quality surround system when I want to. For those asking for a solution for a mouse and keyboard for sitting at the couch I spent under $10 for a pre-finished shelf at Home Depot or Lowes....

Basically the keyboard and mouse pad sit on the shelf and then the shelf just sits on your lap. For a steering wheel at the couch I use one of these....

What mouse and keyboard are you using? Right now I'm using an Apple bluetooth keyboard and an Apple Mighty Mouse since my MS wireless keyboard and mouse signals don't reach my couch. I'm only about 7 feet away, so I don't know what the issue is. I've tried two wireless sets I have and both have the same problem. The Apple setup isn't good for gaming, so I just use a 360 controller for that.

Where did you get that steering wheel mount? That looks like a great solution!

A little late to the party again
I voted Xbox 360 because that is what I use for gaming, we also have in the house Wii (wife/grandson - netflix), PC (wife - FB games ), Laptop (son - gaming w/ 360 controller) and a PS1 that is currently collecting dust.

Been a gamer since the days of Pong and have always preferred consoles, just never could use the kb/m combo proficiently. Took a break from gaming at home for many years until we got our boys a PS, wife and I enjoyed many nights playing Road Rash. Fast forward to today, I owe M$ for getting me into the HT hobby. While playing Halo CE on the original Xbox I wanted better sound/video than the TV we had, offered.

I started out building my HT for gaming w/ a 34" HD CRT TV for no lag and 5.1 for the audio side. Over the last couple years, I've upgraded the audio side w/ better speakers(7.1), a real sub, receiver w/ HDMi and bought my 1st standalone Blu-Ray player this year. So now the only thing left at this point is a bigger/better TV or PJ.

This new generation of consoles has me excited but I'm am going to wait a year or so for both Sony and MS to sort out the bugs and whatnot before I buy.

Just picked up the Xbox one a few weeks ago, which made me(thats what I tell the GF) have to get a new TV, picked up the Sony 55" W802 series, TV is awesome for online gaming,like COD, virtually no input lag at all...

For the guys voting PC....do you usually play connected to your TV/PJ, at a desk, or a little of both?

Play my PC on da HDMI HDTV with da HDMI 5.1 surround sound systemses. One cable/interface for all components (PC and 360) and you don't have to buy extra accessories like another display, speakers, etc.

Just make sure you buy a TV that supports 4:4:4 chroma and the ability to change Black Level (to properly display RGB).